We traveled approximately 330 miles from Dawson City to the Takhini
Hotsprings, which is a campground close to Whitehorse.
This is the first day we have traveled in the rain for some time. The
good news is it is helping to reduce the smoke haze; the bad news is
the landscape is still pretty obscured by the overcast skies.
Dawson City is an old mining city located along the Yukon River in
Yukon, Canada.
The smoke and haze are back, so unfortunately the magnificent views of
the countryside are extremely limited. I guess that's a good thing,
because the road winds through the mountains and is gravel and very
narrow with no shoulder to speak of. The drop off is straight down
and we are pretty high up at 2,500 feet. And wouldn't you know it, at
the narrowest and highest point of the highway, we get another flat
tire.
I am getting plenty of practice at assisting in changing flat tires
but need to left weights so I have enough strength to loosen the lug
nuts. Needless to say, I am not quite ready for an Indy pit crew but
I am praying I do not get any more practice on this trip. We stop in
Boundary, Alaska at what we believe is a tire repair shop only to find
out the owner is now a gold miner. Apparently gold mining is much
more lucrative; the guy tells us he is mining 50 to 60 ounces of gold
a day which translates to about $65,000.
The high note of the drive, shortly after passing the Canadian border
we came upon a caribou strolling down the highway -- go figure, even
the caribou vacation in Canada.
TRAVELING RICHARDSON to ALCAN to TAYLOR HIGHWAYS
From Fairbanks to Delta Junction to Tok to Chichken, Alaska
The drive could have some amazing scenery of the mountains, valleys
and hillsides.
An outbreak of new wildfires near the Fairbanks area left ash on the
car and camper before we departed and reduced visibility to about a
quarter of a mile in some areas.
This made it difficult not only to enjoy the scenery but also to
breath. By the time we arrived in Chicken, the smoke was beginning to
clear, however the town of 21 permanent summer residence had limited
curb appeal. We spoke with some tourist panning for gold, walked
through the 3 stores in town and then left to setup camp at the Walker
Fork Campground on the 40 Mile River.
Mia and Bjorn get trimmed up for the second half of the journey.
Thor gets just a pedicure.
Pics from Chena River Hot Springs Resort and the Angel Rock Trail.
Angel Rock Trail starts off pleasant enough but rises rapidly to 900
feet.
The trail becomes root covered half way up before turning to loose
sand and gravel, which made for a treacherous trip back down.
